Voices of Dragons

Voices of Dragons

Carrie Vaughn

Release Date:

March 16, 2010

Publisher:

HarperTeen

Pages:

309

Source:

My Personal Copy

Reading Level:

Young Adult

Description:

On one side of the border lies the modern world: the Internet, homecoming dances, cell phones. On the other side dwell the ancient monsters who spark humanity's deepest fears: Dragons.

Seventeen-year-old Kay Wyatt knows she's breaking the law by rock climbing near the border, but she'd rather have an adventure than follow the rules. When the dragon Artegal unexpectedly saves her life, the rules are abruptly shattered, and a secret friendship grows between them. 

But suspicion and terror are the legacy of human and dragon interactions, and the fragile truce that has maintained peace between the species is unraveling. As tensions mount and battles begin, Kay and Artegal are caught in the middle. Can their friendship change the course of war? ~book blurb

Teaser Sentence(s):

"I can't imagine you ever being afraid of us," she said, looking up at him, as large as a bus, so powerful. "That's why the military's doing what it's doing, because it's afraid of you. They think they have to do this, before you do."

My Thoughts:

Another random fact about me: I love dragons! 

Voices of Dragons was a very fun read. Dragons live in the modern world. We have given them some of the more uninhabitable land of the world. The dragons stay on their side, and the people stay on theirs. The two never interact, and it is against the law to cross any of the borders.

Kay falls into a river after rock climbing and is caught in the river current taking her into dragon territory. She befriends a young dragon, Artegal, who wants her help to perfect his speech. Kay and Artegal are both well written characters. I couldn't find anything I didn't like about them. They saw how their secret friendship was possible, and saw a world where dragons and the human race could live together. And when a war is started they do everything in their power to prove that fighting is not necessary. 

I did dislike how this book ended. I have looked everywhere trying to find any information about a sequel, but have come up empty handed. I really hope one day there will be a book 2, because I was left wanting to know what happened after their dangerous protest to stop the war.

The Sweetest Dark (The Sweetest Dark #1)

The Sweetest Dark

Shana Abe 

Release date:

April 9, 2013

Publisher:

Random House Publishing 

Pages:

352

Source:

Netgalley *

Reading level:

Young Adult

Description:

Lora Jones has always known that she's different. On the outside, she appears to be an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. Yet Lora's been keeping a heart full of secrets: She hears songs that no ones else can hear, dreams vividly of smoke and flight, and lives with a mysterious voice inside her that insists she's far more than what she seems.

England, 1915. Raised in an orphanage in a rough corner of London, Lora quickly learns to hide her unique abilities and avoid attention. Then, much to her surprise, she is selected as the new charity student at Iverson, an elite boarding school on England's southern coast. Iverson's eerie, Gothic castle is like nothing Lora has ever seen. And the two boys she meets there will open her eyes and forever change her destiny.

Jesse is the school's groundskeeper-a beautiful boy who recognizes Lora for who and what she truly is. Armand is a darkly handsome and arrogant aristocrat who harbors a few closely guarded secrets of his own. Both hold the answers to her past. One is the key to her future. And both will aim to win her heart. As danger descends upon Iverson, Lora must harness the powers she's only just begun to understand, or else lose everything she dearly loves. -Amazon

Teaser Sentence(s): 

'"We are such stuff as dreams are made on," he said softly to the water. "Both infinite and finite, human and not. I'm of comet and clay and the sparks of sun across the ocean waves."' **

My Thoughts:

I liked this book a lot, but it felt like it took forever to figure out what was going on. In a way that bothered me, but it also kept me reading and unable to set the book down. 

I loved the idea behind this book. It was absolutely different from anything else I have read. I love dragons and stars, and this was such a different take on them both. I liked all 3 main characters: Lora, Jesse and Armand. I seem to want to favor Armand a little more than Jesse. So maybe the next book will have more of Armand and Lora instead of Jesse and Lora. 

This is definitely a darker young adult book. The ending is almost heartbreaking, and the romance aspect doesn't end happily. It did leave me really wanting to know what happens next though. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes their YA reads darker and more emotional.

*I received a free copy of this book from Netgally in exchange for an honest review. I was not paid for my opinion. 

**This passage was quoted from an uncorrected proof. The final copy may differ.